Fluid control valve



June 8, i948. w. A. RAY

FLUID CONTROL VALVE Original Filed Feb. 15, 1941 WILL/AM A RAY.

l /m/E/YTOQJ; .i g z 1 4 ATTORNEY Patented June 8, 1948 2,442,817 FLUIDCONTROL vALvE william A. nay, Los Angeles, cam., signor to GeneralControls Co., a corporation Original applicationr February 13, 1941,Serial No. 378,756, now Patent No. 2,354,704, dated August 1, 1944.Divided and this application May 22, 1944, Serial No. 536,699

Claims. .(Cl. 137-139) the maintenance of the valve in that position;for

example, if the valve is employed in a gas-burner control system, anelectromagnet may be provided i'or maintaining the valve in openposition, the electromagnet being energized, for example, by meansresponsive to the flame of a pilot burner, such as a thermal cut-outcontrolling any convenient source of electrical energy, or by athermoelectric generating device heated by the ame. By such anarrangement, the valve cannot be maintained in open position, except bythe manual means, in the event that the pilot flame is extinguished.

In valves of the character described, it is desirable to shield theresetting means and the electromagnet, or other maintaining means, fromthe uid controlled by the valve. A convenient and practical means forthat purpose is a iiexible diaphragm arranged to close an opening in awall of the valve casing; the valve-operating means being secured to thediaphragm and sealingly extending therethrough into the casing. However,by such an arrangement, there may be a tendency for the uid pressure inthe casing to aiect the resetting operation and/or the maintainingmeans, particularly, in connection with the latter, when only a smallamount of energy, such as that produced by a pilot-burner-heatedthermoelectric generating device, is available for maintaining the valvein its reset condition. It is therefore a main object of this inventionto provide a device of the general character described wherein fluidpressure applied to the diaphragm has substantially no effect upon theresetting and/or maintaining means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be found in thedescription, the drawing, and the claims; and, for full understanding ofthe invention, reference is to be had to the following detaileddescription and accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a valve embodying myinvention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse section taken along the line 2--2of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken along the line 3-Lof Fig. 1;

Figurev 4 is a fragmentary section illustrating a. modified pivotingarrangement for the valveoperating lever; and

Figure 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawing, the numeral I I indicates a valve casing having axiallyaligned inlet and outlet openings I2 and I3, respectively. Cooperablewith a seat I4 Vformed at the inner end of the outlet opening is aclosure member I5 mounted on a rod I6, which rod is guided at itsright-hand end in an apertured cup-shaped washer I1 pressed in the inletopening I2. The left-hand end of rod I6 is guided by a vaned member I8secured thereto and freely slidable in the outlet opening I3. A springI9, compressed between an enlarged portion 20 of the rod and the washerI1, urges the closure member toward its seat. Covering an opening in theupper wall of the casing and secured thereto is a housing 2|. Interposedat its margins between the anged lower portion of this housing and thesurface of the casing surrounding the opening is a corrugated metallicdiaphragm 22. Extending from the underside of the diaphragm is aU-shaped closure-operati-ng member 23, in the lower portions of the sidearms of which are pins 24, freely received in an annular recess 25formed in the enlarged portion 2li of the rod I6. The member 23 issecured to the diaphragm by a bolt 26 which extends through an openingconcentric of the corrugated portion thereof. Also secured to thediaphragm by the bolt 26, with a bushing 21 therebetween, is acrossshaped lever 28, the general contour of which is shown indot-and-dash lines in Fig. 3. The arms 29 of this lever are provided attheir downwardlyturned outer ends with knife-edged portions 30 whichbear in V-shaped notches cut in upwardlyturned lug portions 3| formed onthe lower end of a sub-housing32, which sub-housing ts snugly within themain housing 2I. The lever 28 is thus pivoted substantially-in thegeneral plane of the diaphragm 22. and is held in that position by theforce of a pair of springs 33, compressed vbetween the arms 29 and theupper wall of the sub-housing 32. The pivots of the lever also being ona line which intersects the axis of member 23 at the diaphragm, noappreciable amount of fluid is displaced in the flexing of the diaphragmas the lever is rocked, and for the same reason, the uid pressure belowthe diaphragm has no tendency to rock, or impede rocking of. the lever.So that the springs 33 will not produce a toggle action when the leveris rocked, the arms 23 are provided with depressed portions 34 forreceiving the springs so that their lower ends are substantially in theaxis of rotation of the lever. The cross-shaped lever 26 has anadditional pair of arms 35-36 which extend at right-angles to the arms23.

Mounted in the upper part of the housing 2| is anelectromagnetcomprising a. U-shaped core 4I, the upper end of which is received in arecess 4| formed in the top wall of the housing. Surrounding one of theside arms of, the U-shaped core is a coil 42, the leads 43 of whichextend through an opening in the side wall of the housing and areconnected to terminals 44, insulatingly mounted in a bracket 45 securedto the housing. 'Ihe side arms o|5` the core extend through openings inthe top wall of the subhousing, and the electromagnet is maintainer* inposition by its coil. Cooperable with the pole faces 45 of the core isan armature 41 which is rockably mounted on an up-set end portion 46 ofthe arm 36, the armature being resiliently held to the arm by a leafspring 49 compressed against the inner surface of the head 5l of a pin5| secured to the armature. 'I'his rockable mounting of the amaturepermits accurate alignment of its upper surface with the pole faces 46when these parts are brought together.

Reciprocable in aligned openings formed in the top walls of housing 2|and sub-housing 32 is a rod 52, the outer end portion 53 of which formsa manually operable pushbutton. Compressed between a shoulder 56 formedon rod 52 and the upper wall of the sub-housing 32 is a spring 54 whichurges the rod upwardly, its movement in this direction being limited bythe shoulder 56. The rounded lower end of rod 52 engages a cuppedportion 55 of lever arm 35, downward movement of push-button 53 servingto rock the lever about its pivots so that the closure member I5 ismoved into open position and armature 41 is simultaneously brought intoengagement with the poleffaces 46 of the core. If, when this occurs, thecore 40 is suillciently energized by passage of current through coil 42,upon release of push-button 53, since the armature is then magneticallyheld in engagement with the pole faces, the closure member is retainedin open position against the bias of spring I9. If the current throughcoil 42 is interrupted or sutliciently weakened, the armature isIreleased from the core and the valve closes.

Secured to the underside of the top wall of the housing, as by rivets58, is a. pair of generally U-shaped straps 59-60 of high-permeabilityierrous material. The right-hand end portions of the straps 59-60 areprovided with rectangular openings 6| and 62, respectively, whichconform to the cross-sectional shape of and tightly nt the core arms, sothat the straps form branches of the magnetic circuit of the core. Theleft-hand end portions of the straps are downwardly bent to providespaced portions 63--64 which, when the push-button 53 is in its normalretracted position, are bridged by an iron disk 65 carried on thereduced lower end portion of rod 52. A spring 66, compressed between aWasher 61 (abutting a pin 66 pressed in a hole in the lower end of thereduced end portion of rod 52) and the washer 65, urges the sameupwardly into engagement with the edges of portions 63-64 when thepush-button is in its retracted position. When the button is depressed,the washer 65 is moved out of bridging-engagement by the enlarged upperportion of rod 52. 'Ihe disk 65 is a loose nt on the rod so that itsupper surface can conform t the edges of portions 63-64. It will beunderstood that the housing 2| and sub-housing 32 are both ofnon-magnetic material. When in the operation of the valve, the armatureis magnetically held in engagement with the pole faces of the core, uponrelease of the push-button 53 the magnetic circuit of the core isshunted by the magnetic circuit comprising straps 53--53 and disk 65,with the result that the magnetic force acting to hold the amature isreduced. This reduction in armature-holding flux tends to equalize thehold-in and drop-out values oi' the electro-magnet current. So that thereluctance of the magnetic circuit can be adjusted, a portion 63 ofstrap 63 is reduced in size and a magnetic strip 1l, welded at itsright-hand end to strap 66, is arranged to variably bridge this reducedportion. A screw 1|, passing through an opening in the other end of thestrip and threaded in the top wall of the sub-housing 32, permitsvariation of the surface contact of the strip.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the numeral |29 indicates a modiiled form or the arm29 shown in Figs. 1-3. 'I'he end portion of the arm |29 is downwardlybent and provided with a horizontal concave portion l5 which rides on asemi-cylindrical member 16, secured as by solder to the upper surface ofdiaphragm 22 adjacent its margin and above an extended lug portion 11 ofthe casing A lower end portion 18 of the sub-housing |32 (whichcorresponds to the sub-housing 32 in Figs. l-3) is bent up to form anabutment for the arm |29 so as to prevent raising of the same from itspivots by excessive iluid pressure below the diaphragm. By thearrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that the arm |29 canbe pivoted in the theoretical plane of the diaphragm.

The embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is obviouslysusceptible of modincation without departure from the spirit of theinvention, and I intend therefore to be limited only by the scope of theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a control device: means, including a ilexible diaphragm, dening achamber; a rockable lever member having a main portion disposed in aplane substantially parallel to that of said diaphragm and at the sideof the diaphragm away from said chamber, the ends of said main portionextending to opposite margins of the diaphragm and being pivoted in theplane of the diaphragm; said lever member having an armportion extendinggenerally at right-angles to said main portion from a point intermediatethe ends thereof, said arm-portion being secured to said diaphragm andextending therethrough; and condition-controlling means in said chamberand operable by said arm-portion.

2. In a fluid control valve: a valve casing, means in said casing forcontrolling fluid ow therethrough, a ilexible diaphragm closing anopening in a wall of said casing, and a rockable lever member comprisinga main portion dis posed exteriorly of the casing and in a planesubstantially parallel to that of said diaphragm, the ends of said mainportion extending to opposite margins of the diaphragm and being pivotedin the plane of the diaphragm, said lever member also comprising anarm-portion extending generally at right-angles to said main portionfrom a point intermediate the ends thereof, said armportion beingsecured to said diaphragm and sealingly extending therethrough foroperating said flow-controlling means.

3. In a fluid control valve: a valve casing; means in said casing forcontrolling fluid ow therethrough; a flexible diaphragm closing anopening in a wall of said casing; a rockable lever member comprising amain portion disposed exteriorly of the casing and in a planesubstantit-lily parallel to that of said diaphragm, the ends of saidmain portion extending to opposite margins of the diaphragm and beingpivoted in the plane of the diaphragm, said lever member also comprisingan arm-portion extending generally at right-angles to said main portionfrom a point intermediate the ends thereof, said armportion beingsecured to said diaphragm and sealingly extending therethrough foroperating said dow-controlling means; means biasing said lever member toone rocked position; means for temporarily rocking the lever member toanother position; and means responsive to a condition which is aprerequisite to the maintenance of the lever member in said otherposition for s maintaining the same against the force of said biasingmeans.

4. In a uid control valve: a valve casing; means in said casing forcontrolling` uid iiow therethrough; a exible diaphragm closing anopening in a wall of said casing; a rockable lever member Icomprising across-shaped portion disposed exteriorly of the casing and in a planesubstantially parallel to that of said diaphragm, the free ends of onealigned pair of arms of said cross-shaped portion extending to oppositemargins of the diaphragm and being pivoted substantially in the generalplane of the diaphragm, said lever member also comprising an arm-portionextending generally at right-angles to said cross-shaped portion from apoint intermediate the free ends thereof, said arm-portion being securedto said diaphragm and sealingly extending therethrough for operatingsaid How-controlling means; means biasing said lever member to onerocked position; an electromagnet comprising a core member and anarmature member, one of said electromagnet members being iixed withrespect to the casing and the other of the electromagnet members beingmounted on one of the other pair of arms of the cross-shaped portion;and means, engageable with the other one of said other pair of arms ofthe cross-shaped portion, for rocking the lever member to anotherposition wherein said electromagnet members interengage; saidelectromagnet, when energized, beingadapted to maintain the lever memberin said other position against the force of said biasing means.

5. In a. iiuid control valve: a valve casing. means in said casing forcontrolling iiuid ow therethrough, a iiexible diaphragm closing anopening through a wail of said casing and secured at its margin to theouter surface of said wall, a rockable lever member comprising a mainportion disposed-exteriorly of the casing and in a plane substantiallyparallel to that of said diaphragm, the ends of said main portionextending to opposite margins of the diaphragm andvbelng fulcrumedsubstantially in the plane thereof, and spring means urging the levermember toward its fulcrurned position and acting thereon substantiallyin the plane of the fulcrum, said lever member also comprising anarm-portion extending generally at right-angles to said main portionfrom a point intermediate the ends thereof, said arm-portion beingsecured to said diaphragm and seallingly extending therethrough foroperating said flow-controlling means.

WILLIAM A. RAY.

REFERENCES CITED `The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,883,957 Koch Oct. 25, 19322,110,326 DeLancey Mar. 8, 1938 2,245,834 Sparrow June 17, 19412,252,029 Pieper Aug. 12, 1941 2,367,087 Beecher Jan. 9, 1945

